Ohio State Police stopped schools in Springfield on Tuesday in response to a number of bomb threats – most of which officials said came from abroad – after former US President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. the small town ate dogs and cats.
Schools, government buildings and the homes of elected officials in Springfield were among more than 30 false threats made last week that forced evacuations and lockdowns. Two other schools had to be evacuated on Monday, and a high school was threatened on Tuesday. Republican Mike DeWine said a foreign actor played a major role, but declined to name a country.
Even though dozens of Ohio State Highway Patrol officers rushed to protect the 18 schools of the Springfield City School District, many parents chose to keep their children at home. In one primary school, about 200 students were absent on Tuesday out of a population of 500.
“There is still a high level of fear because of these baseless threats and lies that have marred our existence for a week now,” said Robert Hill, chief executive officer of the Springfield City School District, appearing at a news conference with DeWine. .
After Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump claimed illegal immigrants were eating dogs and cats in Springfield, Ohio, ABC News Presidential Debate host David Muir said the city’s manager told ABC News there were ‘no credible reports’ of the incidents. .
Two traffic police officers have been assigned to each school, a policy that will continue “as long as necessary,” DeWine said.
“We don’t believe there’s a real threat out there, but we’re certainly not going to take any chances. And we want parents to be sure that their kids can be kids and they can go to school and learn,” he said.
State police were seen at the middle school early Tuesday, with students being dropped off as usual.
Trump expanded the disputed rumors
Thousands of Haitian immigrants in recent years have settled in the mostly white city of about 60,000, about 70 miles from the state capital of Columbus, where they have found work in factories and warehouses that have struggled to fill job vacancies.
The sudden influx has disrupted schools, health centers and city services and driven up housing costs — while becoming a major political issue after Trump fueled controversial internet rumors about eating pets during last week’s presidential debate. Vance repeated the false claims.
“We have not had any threats in the past seven days. ,” Springfield Mayor Rob Rue said Tuesday.
Rue did not mention Trump or Vance by name, but asked the world’s leaders to “temper their voices and speak the truth.”
“That’s what Springfield is asking for. We need peace. We need help, not hate.”
‘Troublesome’ and ‘dangerous’
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, answering questions at a black press conference in Philadelphia on Tuesday, said her heart aches for Springfield. He said the inflammatory rhetoric about Haitian immigrants is “worrisome and dangerous and hateful and focuses on some old stuff that we shouldn’t have to put up with.”
Vance did not back down, writing on social media X that “residents are telling us there are problems” in Springfield and that he has repeatedly criticized the threats. He accused Harris of ignoring the legitimate concerns of citizens and trying to block debate.
DeWine’s spokesman, Dan Tierney, said Tuesday that “most” of the bomb threats come from overseas. He said that the criminal investigation carried out by many law enforcement agencies has revealed information about the origin of these threats.
Tierney did not elaborate on how investigators determined they came from another country, and would not disclose the name of the country, saying that could encourage other threats.